Textbook of Veterinary Nuclear Medicine

Journal Editor's Spring 2009 Update

Dr. Donald E. Thrall, DVM, PhD, Editor-in-Chief

The journal continues to grow in a marketplace challenged by various factors. Continued growth will require resourcefulness, but with the innovative submissions being received on a regular basis I look forward to a productive year.

I am happy to provide some brief information on items that relate to manuscript submission, and the journal status overall.

Illustration Size: Authors are sometimes confused about how to size illustrations for submitting with their paper. The Author Instructions state that illustrations must be submitted in .tif format at a resolution of 300 dpi, and that each illustration file is smaller than 1MB. When formatting illustrations, it should be kept in mind that a single column illustration will appear at a width of 3.34 inches and a double column illustration will appear with a width of 6.84 inches. Generally, illustrations are printed using single-column width. Authors are encouraged to use creative cropping to emphasize the main point. It is not necessary to include the entire field of view for an illustration. Although there may be a possibility for illustration re-sizing at the proof stage, authors should give detailed consideration to how they want the illustrations to appear when they are submitted.

Manuscript Submissions: Slightly more than 180 manuscripts were submitted in 2008. Although this was essentially unchanged from 2007, the type of submissions changed. Reports of individual subjects decreased, while original investigations and retrospective studies collectively increased. This transition in manuscript submission type has potential to result in an overall increased quality of the journal.

Manuscript Processing Time: We make every effort to expedite the review process. The mean time from submission to decision is less than 45 days for both original submissions, and resubmissions. We are pleased with this short response time, thanks to the efficiency of manuscript reviewers and rapid manuscript handling made possible through Manuscript Central. Letters to the Editor are always welcome, as are informal comments. Use the Contact Us email form to let us know what you think.